nonresident

Go to OFX.com and sign up.

No fees. Good rate (quoted b4 transaction) and good service. I've used it for years without a hitch.

A few years ago I tried to purchase a bottle of gin at BKK duty free. When the cashier saw that I was going to Australia she advised me that I was not allowed to do so. You were let down by the staff at the shop (badly).

Friday night. Blahhh

Slightly off topic: Nok Air. The last time I flew with them (and I mean the last time) was about 4 years ago when I noticed an infant sitting in the lap of a fellow passenger without an infant seatbelt during takeoff. Long story abbreviated: there were 3 infants on board, none of which were fitted with infant seatbelts during takeoff or landing. I complained to Nok Air by email and when NO response came I used the same media to report it to DCA (as it was then). Again no response.

If you don't understand the peril that an infant presents to other passengers (and itself) when [it] is flying around the cabin during a takeoff or landing mishap please do some research. It's a jungle out there.

Sorry, I have read this article a few times. Where is the copilot's reference to CFIT?

Not so strange you say bluespunk. It is VERY strange when a massive building is reported to have fallen when it hadn't.... And then it did!!!

Modern gpws are linked to the transponder, GPS and a global topographical database AND the landing gear. When the aircraft, in landing configuration, nears the ground at a location where the database says there is no runway an alarm will be triggered. Something like TERRAIN PULL UP.

FYI if Air NZ had this gear (not invented then) the Eribus accident probably wouldn't have happened as this new gear (not that new - about 15 years) takes into account terrain ahead and the aircraft's ability to outclimb it at current weight etc

Of course the runways and planes have instrument landing equipment. They couldn't operate year around if they didn't. That doesn't mean the pilots were paying any attention or had a clue what they were doing. Obviously he was way off the glideslope and out of sync with the ILS (instrument landing system) but...

If the plane was working properly he would have had alarms going off such as the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS).

"In the late 1960s, a series of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents took the lives of hundreds of people. A CFIT accident is one where a properly functioning airplane under the control of a fully qualified and certified crew is flown into terrain, water or obstacles with no apparent awareness on the part of the crew.

Beginning in the early 1970s, a number of studies examined the occurrence of CFIT accidents. Findings from these studies indicated that many such accidents could have been avoided if a warning device called a ground proximity warning system (GPWS) had been used."

Cheers.

NeverSure, you seem to have some knowledge of aviation, but please be careful as you seem to be aspousing a greater knowledge than you possess. Please do your homework before casting aspersions. There is no ILS at Mae Sot but there is a VOR and a DME which allows for IFR operations there. There may also be GPS approaches but I can't confirm that. This crew (captain and copilot) were operating IFR. They had to be, due to the reduced visibility which precludes VFR. It is highly unlikely that their is an Air Traffic Controller in the tower as there is no radar and as stated no ILS and it surely has no means of getting info from the aircraft's transponder to ascertain its position, altitude etc.

I would expect that the airport attendant (might be called a Flight Service Officer) would have equipment to give him/her surface meteorological data to pass by radio to the flight crew.

VOR/DME approaches (NPAs) require a higher level of situational awareness than ILS and it would seem fair to say there was a lapse. You can bet Nok Air will be looking extremely hard at this incident.

Thank Buddha there was no crunch.

I change. I just get better lookin!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I was approcahed by farang with French (I guess) accent in Patong last week while withdrawing money from ATM. He insisted on "helping" me. When I started to walk away he said I had not finished my transaction and waved a 1000 baht note he claimed was in the slot. He wanted me to reinsert my card. I thought about it. I had my card, the correct amount I had withdrawn and my receipt so told him to F*** off. Then went to my bank in Jong Ceylon and cancelled card. Tried to alert staff and both ATM and my bank but nobody wanted to know.

Airports are everybody's pet hate. I arrived at LAX 2 1/2 hours b4 a domestic flight and still missed it! 1 hour for check in and 2 hours for security. Interestingly, the flight departed with my checked bags on board. The country that has suffered the most from aviation terrorism is the only country that allows this.

On topic: I flew out of Swampy last month with Thai and the check-in line ran all the way out into the corridor. They had to call us out for our flight. (after 45 mins). Shame on Thai Airways.

As for immigration, Do we recall the pre camera days? It was quicker then. What's the camera for anyway? Only country I know that uses them. That may be what's slowing things down. If they want to take a picture it can be done by a camera mounted behind the officer, surely! Surely we have the technology for a camera to automatically zoom in and take a face shot.

As for the immigration card, I used to take a ferry from Singapore to Batam (Indonesia) and the ferry operator used a printer to fill it in b4 boarding!! I just signed it.

What about a pre immigration counter to assist people in need to fill in the form?

As for e-passport systems: my experience is that it only works for nationals and expats not others.

Singapore nationals and expats can get a card which they swipe on entry and exit (with thumb print recognition). I had one. Fantastic!

It changed to 15 days before from the previous 7 several months ago.

Hi Lopburi3

Do you have a contact at Immigration who can update their website? The following just lifted from bangkok.immigration.go.th:

The notification must be made within 7 days before or after the period of 90 days expires. :jap:

Only the TM.47 or the first TM.7 (extension of stay application) counts as a 90 day address report.

Thanks Lopburi3, It seems you are correct but doesnt it seem ridiculous that 2 sections of the same department in the same office cant work together? The fact is I was there 87 days ago filling in forms containing my address and it isnt accepted as a report of my address. I wonder how many people fall into this money trap.

Electau said, "With long shifts they can be problems with fatigue, which can and has caused accidents."

I don't believe that fatigued flight attendants ever caused an accident. They may not have been much help after the accident though. Fatigue in flight crew has caused accidents and that's why Civil Aviation Order 48 dictates flight and duty times. CAO 48 does not cover FA's, but there may be another provision in the CAO's of which I'm not aware. As far as I know, duty times for flight attendants are part of industrial agreements and not law.

Traditionally FA's have not performed well in full blown emergencies, even when not fatigued.

FYI CAO48 also covers FAs last time I looked.

As for those who want to ridicule trolley dollies, fair enough but it doesnt gel with the Emergency Procedures training I've done jointly with pilots and FAs, where the FAs are required to have a thorough knowledge of safety equipment locations and the use of them. At the risk of repeating myself; nobody performs well past a dozen or so hours on deck. 20 hours is absurd.

An insidious feature of crew fatique is that one can get proper rest before duty BUT (in the case of FAs) after physical activity breathing air equivalent to around 7,000 above sea level for an extended period, one cannot go to the captain and say "I can no longer perform my duties due to fatique". The captain would then be obliged to terminate the flight/series of flights forthwith.

I understand that the Safety Management System of an airline is subject to the approval of the state. How did Jetstar get theirs approved in Thailand?

I just returned from Cheang Wattana for my 90 day report and was forced to pay a 2000 baht fine for alleged late reporting. It is 87 days since I was there renewing my retirement permit and obtaining a multi re entry permit. I assumed (oops) that the 90 days started from then. WRONG. The response was "that's a different section and the 90 days started when you returned from overseas in April". CRAZY!

Sorry guys, I''m just home home Coyboy so I havent read every constipation of this threat but the original article talked about 20 hour shifts. As an ex crew, that is the pivital question. Nobody can safety operate as a pilot or cabin crew after being on deck that long. If Thai law or any contrary can allow this we can are in trouble.

Just to add another perspective: I'm from Oz and we are in a big mess mainly due to a broken election promise. Sure, pollies go against their election promises to do/not do this or that but in our case it was a whopper.<br /><br />Same here in LOS, the promises made by PT were (in my opinion) totally unrealistic or in my language, &lt;deleted&gt; (e.g. around 50% increase in min wage, millions of free computers, credit cards that would have inevitably led to rampant debt default).<br /><br />The election outcome may have been inevitable but spare a thought for the many millions of people who voted for Democrats and others parties who have every right to feel disenfranchised by the nullification of their vote by the massive and unsustainable promises (lies) of the PT.<br />Can anyone state definately that the election outcome would not have been different if the unsustainable lies had not been told

Regarding the weighing of hand luggage: There are 3 reasons I can think of for airlines to do so;

1. Revenue. Overweight hand luggage reduces the weight of checked bags which might otherwise attract excess baggage charges.

2. On full flights, cabin stowage space is limited so inconsiderate passengers that have large, heavy hand lugagge can cause problems for others.

3. Safety. Aircraft overhead bins have design weigh limitations. In turbulence or a heavy landing, bins can and do fail causing injury to passengers.

If you're looking for someone to blame when your overweight hand luggage is taken and loaded below, look in the mirror.

Mr Drinkwater's contribution to the crime is not insignificant. If he hadn't been so stupid as to put an I-Phone in checked baggage the crime would not have occurred. It's like leaving a laptop in a parked car.

Bottom line: Don't put anything in your checked baggage, anywhere in the world, that you are not prepared to lose.

Bravo Mr Sherman.

Australian Broadcasting Commission deserves the same critizism. As an ozzie, I WAS proud of our national news agency. After their coverage of events in BKK, not any more.

Just an idea: Could it be that for BBC/CNN/ABC to report accurately (with a less pro-red bias) would have been to put their reporters in danger when entering the red camp? Or at least caused them to be refused entry, thereby knobbling their work?